Can Radiation Waste from Fission Reactors Be Safely Stored?
Viewpoint: Yes, radiation waste from fission reactors can be safely stored using existing technical expertise and drawing on the experience of test facilities that are already in operation.
Viewpoint: No, radiation waste from fission reactors cannot be safely stored, given the ever-present danger of human error and natural catastrophe during the thousands of years in which the waste must be stored.
The development of human societies has been characterized by an ever-increasing demand for energy. Until the industrial revolution this meant the muscle power of humans and animals, augmented by wind and flowing water for limited applications such as sailing and milling. Fuels—wood and sometimes coal—were burned for warmth but not for mechanical work.
With the invention of the steam engine, the energy content of wood and coal became available for such work, and the consumption of fuel dramatically increased. Forests were decimated and coal mines dug in great numbers. Eventually petroleum and natural gas deposits augmented coal as energy reservoirs, as the development of electrical technology put numerous horsepower at the disposal of the ordinary citizen in the industrialized world. However, the stores of these fuels would eventually not be enough to keep up with demand, and pollution of the air and water with the wastes of combustion would threaten the environment.
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